[Gossypiboma?].

Although not a rare finding in medicine and particularly in surgery, only few know what "gossypiboma" actually means. The author briefly describes a patient found to have a neglicted, missed, surgical gauze in his abdominal cavity and explains the origin of the terms.

Treatment of pilonidal sinus disease using fibrin glue as a sealant.

BACKGROUND: Complete excision is the preferred treatment for pilonidal sinus disease. We describe a new technique of excision and tension-free primary closure of pilonidal sinus disease, combined with application of fibrin glue in order to obliterate the dead space and to promote wound healing. METHODS: A curved incision of the carried out, 2-3 cm lateral to the opening of the sinus, done under general or spinal anesthesia, and a thick flap was created by undercutting the medial edge and advancing it across the midline. The sinus was completely excised with all of its extensions. The flap was then sutured back to its original place by several interrupted monofilament mattress sutures. Then, 2-4 ml of fibrin glue was injected through the original pilonidal sinus opening to the sinus bed in order to obliterate the dead space. RESULTS: Thirty patients with pilonidal sinus disease were treated by this technique. In four patients, there was a temporary purulent discharge through the opening of the sinus, and there were no other complications. The mean period for returning to daily activities and to work for patients was 11 days (SD=6 days). No infection or recurrent disease was noticed during the follow-up period (23+/-3 months). CONCLUSIONS: Complete excision with tension free closure with fibrin glue application may be a useful technique for the treatment of pilonidal sinus disease.

The new technology of combined transmission and emission tomography in evaluation of endocrine neoplasms.

UNLABELLED: The clinical value of a novel technology of combined transmission and emission tomography (TET) was assessed in patients with endocrine tumors. METHODS: TET technology, which combines simultaneous acquisition of SPECT and CT images, using the same imaging device, allows correct fusion of images of both modalities. TET was performed on 27 patients with known or suspected endocrine tumors. The radiopharmaceuticals used for the emission part of the study were chosen according to the tumor type: (111)In-octreotide for patients with neuroendocrine tumors (n = 10), (99m)Tc-sestamibi for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (n = 8), (131)I for patients with thyroid cancer (n = 4), and (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine and (75)Se-cholesterol for patients with adrenal masses (n = 3 and n = 2, respectively). The additional information provided by TET compared with scintigraphy was assessed for both image interpretation and clinical utility. RESULTS: TET did not provide any additional data in 16 patients (59%), including 5 patients with normal scintigraphy. In 11 patients (41%) with abnormal SPECT findings, TET improved image interpretation by providing a better anatomic localization of SPECT-detected lesions. It showed unsuspected bone involvement in 4 patients, it identified the organs involved and the relationship of the lesions to neighboring structures in 5 patients, and it differentiated physiologic uptake from tumor uptake in 2 patients. TET provided additional information of clinical value in 9 patients (33%). It assisted in better planning of surgery in 2 patients with neuroendocrine tumors and in 2 patients with ectopic parathyroid adenomas. It changed the treatment approach in 2 patients with neuroendocrine tumors and 1 patient with thyroid carcinoma, and it altered prognosis in 2 patients with thyroid malignancy. CONCLUSION: TET enhances the already unique role of nuclear medicine procedures in the assessment and management of patients with endocrine neoplasms.

Survival of colorectal carcinoma in the elderly. A prospective study of colorectal carcinoma and a five-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: Colorectal carcinoma in elderly patients has become a more common problem in the last decade. There are some physicians who tend to offer a less definitive treatment for these patients because of their chronologic age. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term survival of elderly patients (> 70) who underwent surgery for colorectal carcinoma in comparison with a younger group of patients with the same disease. METHODS: Long-term survival of patients with colorectal carcinoma who underwent surgery was prospectively evaluated. Long-term survival was compared between an elderly group of patients (age, > 70) and a younger group of patients. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the five-year survival between the two age groups. Patients' survival was influenced by stage of the disease and type of operation (emergency vs. elective). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment decisions in elderly patients with colorectal carcinoma should not be influenced by the chronologic age of the patient.

Endometriosis in abdominal scars: a diagnostic pitfall.

Endometriosis is ectopic endometrial tissue that responds to hormonal stimulation and is found in 8 to 15 per cent of all menstruating women. Endometrioma in a surgical scar is rare and appears in 0.1 per cent of women who have undergone cesarean section; 25 per cent of these women have concomitant pelvic endometriosis. Endometrioma in a scar can present as a painful swelling on the scar that worsens during cough and effort, with the patient's complaints resembling those of a postoperative hernia occurring in a scar. It can also mimic other lesions of the abdominal wall, such as hematomas, granulomas, abscesses, and tumors. Four cases of endometriomas in a cesarean section scar are described. Two were diagnosed preoperatively as postoperative ventral hernias, and the other two presented with an abdominal wall mass causing pain and discomfort. All patients underwent surgery, and the error of their preoperative diagnosis was revealed by histology, which confirmed endometrioma. We contend that endometrioma in scarring is a diagnostic pitfall that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of postoperative ventral hernias and various abdominal wall masses.

Ileitis after colectomy for ulcerative colitis or carcinoma.

An ileitis developing years or months after ileostomy was recognised and described many years ago but has rarely been mentioned since. We describe nine patients with a non-specific preanastomotic ileitis that developed years after colectomy in patients operated on for ulcerative colitis or carcinoma. The disease developed after various types of reconstruction: ileorectal, ileoanal, with or without pouch. The diseased ileum showed inflammation, erosions, ulcerations, and sometimes strictures. The disease course ranged from asymptomatic to severe pain and diarrhoea. No specific cause could be shown. Granulomas, infectious agents or ischaemic changes were not found. The anastomosis was always patent. Three patients have had numerous episodes of intestinal obstruction presumably because of adhesions. Seven of nine patients were female. The response to steroids, 5-aminosalicylic acid preparations, and methotrexate was poor, three patients responded well to azathioprine. The condition is not rare and the cause remains unknown.

Methyldopa hypersensitivity syndrome.

A 74-year-old man developed an extensive erythematous skin eruption, fever, lymphadenopathy and eosinophilia probably due to methyldopa. The symptoms reappeared shortly after unintentional reexposure to the drug. The positive results of two in vitro tests for the detection of drug allergy not only give further support to the causal relationship between the drug and the symptoms, but also indicate the involvement of an immunologic, allergic mechanism. Although every individual symptom represented in our case has been reported in previous cases, the association of the symptoms together in one patient has never before been reported. An awareness that adverse reactions to methyldopa can mimic a variety of acute infectious diseases and lymphoproliferative disorders is the key to diagnosis and might prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, procedures, and use of potentially toxic antibiotics and chemotherapy.

Colorectal cancer in patients over 70 years old. A prospective study of operative results.

All patients (284, mean age 70.8 years) admitted with a diagnosis of primary colorectal cancer to our surgical department during the years 1984-87 were evaluated prospectively. We compare 170 (59.9%) patients > 70 years old and 114 (40.1%) patients < or = 70 years. The overall operability rate was 97.3% and the resectability rate 92.8%. The overall operative mortality rate was 2.1%, four patients in the older group and two patients in the younger group (NS). Among patients who underwent emergency surgery, the operative mortality was 6.1% (4 patients). The overall morbidity rate was 26.7% without significant differences between the two age-groups. A separate subset analysis was done to compare the very old patients (age > or = 80) to the old patients (age 70-79). There were no significant differences between these groups in tumor location, presentation and staging, as well as in operability rate and operative morbidity and mortality. The operative mortality in those over the age of 80 was 3.5%. We concluded that age should not be a determinant in consideration of operation for primary colorectal cancer, since operative mortality and morbidity are similar in both the elderly and their younger counterparts.

Perforated duodenal ulcer in the elderly patient.

Acute perforation of a duodenal ulcer in a patient over of 70 years of age is associated with a high death rate. During a 10-year period, 35 such patients were operated on; in all omentopexy was performed. Two courses of the disease were observed: the first (19 patients) was defined by acute disease of less than 24 hours' duration preceding surgery; the second (16 patients) was of longer duration, starting with various abdominal complaints and presenting more severely only after the first 24 hours. Postoperative death rates were 0% in the first group and 50% in the second. Other factors that were studied, including diabetes mellitus, presence of concomitant malignant diseases and intake of ulcerogenic drugs, had no significant effect on the outcome in these patients.

Plasmacytoma of the stomach.

A case of plasmacytoma of the stomach is described. The clinical presentation, diagnostic pitfalls and the treatment of this rare entity are discussed.

Quantitation of phospholipid vesicles and their cholesterol content in human bile by quasi-elastic light scattering.

The proportion of biliary cholesterol carried by phospholipid vesicles may be an important determinant of the lithogenicity of bile. The distribution of biliary cholesterol between vesicles and other aggregational forms is often determined by gel filtration under standard conditions. The aim of this study was to measure the proportion of biliary cholesterol in vesicles in native unprocessed bile and to compare it with values obtained by chromatography. A modified quasi-elastic light-scattering method was used to measure vesicular cholesterol in whole bile. It was suitable only for lightly pigmented biles with a relatively monodisperse population of vesicles. In ten human biles examined, the proportion of cholesterol in vesicles by gel filtration was 40 +/- 8.1% (mean +/- S.D.) by chemical measurement, and 38 +/- 7.2% by [3H]cholesterol estimation. Quasi-elastic light-scattering measurements of these biles produced vesicular cholesterol values of 36 +/- 9.4%. Chromatography may affect lipid particles in bile. Nevertheless, it provides a relatively accurate measurement of biliary cholesterol in vesicles.

Colonic metastases from lobular carcinoma of the breast. Report of a case.

Metastatic involvement of the gastrointestinal tract secondary to breast cancer is rare. A case of diffuse infiltration of the colon by metastatic infiltrating lobular breast cancer is reported. Awareness of this condition may lead to proper investigations including intestinal biopsy, thus avoiding unnecessary surgery.

Right and left colon carcinoma: a retrospective comparative study.

We studied 347 patients with primary colorectal carcinoma treated by surgery during 1973-1983: 64 (18.2%) with right colon carcinoma, 158 (45.7%) with left colon carcinoma, 14 (4.2%) with transverse colon carcinoma, and 110 (31.9%) with rectal carcinoma. We compared the right-sided carcinoma (RSC) and left-sided carcinoma (LSC) groups. Obstruction was found in 17.2% of RSC compared with 20.3% LSC patients (P greater than 0.05). Advanced disease (Dukes stages C and D) was found in 34.4% on the right and 47.8% on the left side (P = 0.01). Crude 5-year survival rate, by life table method, was 71% on the right and 66% on the left side (P greater than 0.05); this difference became significant (P = 0.03) when Dukes stage B patients were compared. We conclude that patients with RSC are not diagnosed, as is commonly believed, at advanced stages of the disease. We found that the 5-year survival rate of RSC patients was the same or, occasionally, better than that of LSC patients.